December 17, 2015
Dr. Bostwick believes the recent emphasis on interprofessional education puts clinical pharmacist in a prime position to positively influencing their status as providers and reimbursement for clinical services

Breaking down professional silos enhances patient care as well as provides the opportunity for collaboration and learning across disciplines. Dr. Jolene Bostwick takes this principle to heart in her teaching, practice, and approach to her new Associate Chair position within the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the College of Pharmacy.

Jolene Bostwick received her PharmD degree with high distinction from the U-M College of Pharmacy. Subsequently, Dr. Bostwick completed a specialty residency in psychiatry with Kaiser Permanente in Denver, Colorado. Within a few short years, she returned home to her alma mater and has since developed clinical services in both inpatient and ambulatory psychiatry, and serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacist, U-M Health System.

“Psychiatry has always been a topic that fascinates me, particularly with how medications can have such a dramatic effect, both positively and negatively, on patients' lives,” explains Dr. Bostwick. She is a member of a psychiatry team at the U-M Ambulatory Psychiatry Services, which includes psychiatrists, psychiatry medical residents, nurse practitioners, and social workers. Ambulatory psychiatry patients seen through the Michigan Psychiatric Assessment and Care Transitions Clinic are routinely scheduled for phone visits with the pharmacist following their clinic visit. This gives Dr. Bostwick an opportunity to discuss any barriers related to adherence, adverse effects, medication cost, or other patient concerns once the medication is started or dose is changed. Dr. Bostwick emphasizes the treatment plan described in their previous visit as well as provides additional education to patients to ensure they are using their medications safely to help maximize effectiveness. “I feel very fortunate I have had so much support and buy-in from physician leadership and the team I work with,” says Dr. Bostwick.  “The team is very receptive to my input and it is clear they value the expertise a pharmacist can provide.” 

Dr. Bostwick’s passion and enthusiasm for psychiatric pharmacy engages and motivates her students. She is the co-coordinator of Patient Care and Communication (P506), where effective patient communication is taught, including empathy and listening, patient medication counseling, medication history, and motivational interviewing. “I try to emphasize it is not always about how much you know, but how much you care. That comes through so much in psychiatry – patients just want to feel heard and I believe I can have a positive impact on every patient I speak to just by hearing their struggles and offering my support,” says Dr. Bostwick. “I love instructing P506 because it gets first year pharmacy students exposed and prepared for patient interactions. They work with standardized patients and get the ‘feel’ for being a pharmacist.” In addition to her classroom duties, Dr. Bostwick serves as a preceptor for pharmacy students and residents.

“Given new accreditation standards among health professional programs, there is tremendous emphasis on interprofessional education which places clinical pharmacists in a prime position for positively influencing our status as providers and reimbursement for clinical services,” explains Dr. Bostwick. “Our challenge is to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity and to nurture collaboration and innovation with our colleagues.”

“I cannot emphasize the importance of collaboration enough. I have learned so much from other pharmacists and psychiatry colleagues, as well as students and residents. I frequently rely on colleagues to help me take advantage of opportunities I may have let pass by had it not been for their support,” notes Dr. Bostwick. “While not all collaborations are easy, I am always learning and recognize how much more difficult the struggle would have been if I had attempted to navigate the course on my own.” For example, Dr. Bostwick has worked with Dr. Hae Mi Choe to expand pharmacy services into ambulatory psychiatry, which she describes as invaluable. “Through this initiative, I have been able to engage numerous pharmacy student volunteers, introductory pharmacy practice experience rotation students, ambulatory pharmacy residents, and pharmacy fellows to help initiate new programs,” explains Dr. Bostwick. “Utilizing pharmacy residents and fellows has allowed us to multiply our efforts by reaching more patients, which is critical, and we have presented our efforts in publications and at national poster sessions.”1

“I am excited to support our faculty and help to meet their needs while working with Department Chair Dr. Karen Farris to help shape the future of the Clinical Pharmacy Department,” explains Dr. Bostwick. “I’m looking forward to working closely with faculty in our department to help ensure we continue to strive for excellence in teaching, share our vast experiences with our students, and help to manage the various pulls on faculty time by collaborating in new and exciting ways,” says Dr. Bostwick. 

1. [Bostwick JR, Burghardt K, Choe HM, Deneke E, Fluent T. Opportunities to partner with clinical pharmacists in ambulatory psychiatry. Current Psychiatry 2014;13(7):23-9 and Bostwick JR, Bowling A, Albano M, Wiese K, Choe HM, Fluent TE. A pharmacist-led initiative for telephone medication reconciliation in the setting of an ambulatory psychiatry clinic. College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL. April 19-22, 2015]